In search of local ingredients

It’s been about 17 years since I left my home in Jammu and moved to Bengaluru. I completed my graduation from Bangalore University in 2002 and have been working across hotels here.

Each place has given me a new learning experience which helped me to reach where I am today.

Knowingly or unknowingly, the culinary world was introduced to me at a young age. My father is an Army man and my older sister got married when I was really young. So I grew up alone at home with my mother a homemaker. I accompanied her to the market, helped her chop vegetables and cook as well. I was only 12 years old then.

Since then, we have experimented with various dishes, especially when it came to traditional ones. We made a lot of vegetarian and non-vegetarian items. Though I eat both, I prefer to have vegetarian dishes.

After I completed culinary school, I started working in the kitchens of five-star hotels. I worked in the banquet hall so I had the chance to learn a bit about all cuisines. Thanks to my experience in various kitchens, I know my ways around Indian, Continental, Mediterranean and Italian cuisine.

Working with local ingredients soon became my favourite thing to do. I am always on the lookout for ingredients to work with, especially to add to the menu at the hotel. I will soon be travelling to Coorg and I hope to find something interesting there as well.

Now, I am the executive chef at Keys Select Hotel Whitefield and I have my team who prepare the food for our guests. Over the years, I’ve realised that with fusion food slowly taking over our palates, people are preferring to stick to healthier versions of it. While rich food was a favourite earlier, using healthier ingredients to prepare the food is something everyone is demanding now. Honestly, it’s quite easy for us to cook that too.

The recipe shared today is Arbi Cutlet with coriander and coconut chutney. It’s a very simple dish to prepare and great to have as an evening snack; you can also have it in the mornings. The ingredients are easily available and with just a few steps to follow, your dish will be ready in no time.

Recipe: Arbi Cutlet

Arbi Cutlet

Ingredients

- Arbi, 500 gm (boiled and skinned)

- Oil for frying

- Roasted jeera seeds, 10 gm, crushed

- Chopped ginger, 200 gm

- Chopped green chilli, 10 gm

- Chopped onion, 30 gm

- Chopped raisins, 10 gm

- Chaat masala, 10 gm

- Cashew nuts, 30 gm (fried till golden and crushed)

- Kashmiri chilli powder, 15 gm

- Aamchur powder, 15 gm

- Chopped green chilli, 5 gm

- Black salt, 20 gm

- Chopped coriander leaves, 30 gm

- Refined flour, 100 gm (mixed with salt to make a medium thick batter)

- Fresh bread crumbs, 200 gm

For Chutney

- Coriander leaves, 200 gm

- Ginger, 5 gm

- Grated coconut, 30 gm

- Chopped onion, 20 gm

- Chopped green chilli, 5 gm

- Salt to taste

Method

- Take peeled boiled Arbi and mash it.

- Now add all the items except fresh bread crumbs and refined flour.

- Roll them into cutlet shapes. Coat batter and crumb them.

- Now blend coriander, chilli coconut, salt and ginger to make thick chutney.

- Fry the cutlets in hot oil and Serve hot along with chutney.

Chef Manmohan Singh